Robbery suspects arrested

February 11, 2013

The East Side Food Mart located at the Shell station on South County Trail was robbed last week. Last Wednesday, two men were arrested in connection to the heist. (Photo: James Bessette)

Two men charged in multiple hold-ups, including one in EG

Two men were arrested last Wednesday by local police in conjunction with a pair of robberies in both North Kingstown and East Greenwich earlier in the week.

Robert R. Greer, Jr., 30, of North Kingstown and Bruce Carpenter, 46, of Wakefield, were brought into custody and appeared in front of a judge in 3rd District Court to face the charges. Greer, according to a press release from the East Greenwich Police Department, was charged with one count of second-degree robbery. He was also presented by the State Attorney Generalâ€™s office as a Superior Court probation violator in connection with a 2010 sentence resulting from larceny charges brought by the North Kingstown Police. Carpenter was charged with one count conspiracy and his bail was set at $5,000 with surety.
On Jan. 28 at approximately 5 a.m., officers from East Greenwich Police responded to the East Side Food Mart, located at 2563 South County Trail, regarding a report they received of a robbery. According to EGPD, the suspect â€“ a white male wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a bandana covering his face â€“ entered the establishment and handed the clerk a note demanding money.
Officers from East Greenwich said once the suspect removed the cash from the register, he exited East Side Food Mart and made his way toward Frenchtown Road.
The description of the suspect matched the one of a suspect who had committed a similar crime at a convenience store in North Kingstown six hours earlier than the incident that occurred in East Greenwich. Later on Monday evening, a suspect â€“ matching descriptions of the two prior cases â€“ attempted to commit robberies in Exeter.
Investigators from East Greenwich began working with detectives in North Kingstown and the Rhode Island State Police, according to the press release, on the case. After reviewing the surveillance footage from the robberies and conducting interviews, the suspects were identified as Greer and Carpenter and were later captured by officers.